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Godeaux: Dillon struggles after title-game trips

A.J. Godeaux | Wednesday, November 14, 2012

When it comes to interhall football Dillon Hall is no stranger to success. After losing to Sorin falling just short of an interhall championship two years ago, the Big Red got their revenge on the Otters last season, winning a 19-14 nail-biter to take the crown. This year, however, has been a bit of a different story for the Big Red.

Dillon lost two of its first three games, including a disappointing 23-7 loss to Keenan. Junior quarterback and captain Kevin Fink tersely described the team’s flat start.

“After we lost that championship to Sorin, we came into that next season hungry and had a clear goal in mind,” Fink said.

“This year though, coming off a championship win, we just didn’t have the hunger, especially at the beginning of the season.”

Though Dillon lost some valuable pieces from last year’s team, Fink quickly said this year’s team isn’t one to panic.

“On the defensive side of the ball, especially, we still have a lot of experience,” Fink said. “That experience has definitely helped us not to lose focus even though we’ve lost two games.”

That defense could also be the Big Red’s saving grace in the quest to defend their title. The defense has come together as a unit, and has given up only two touchdowns since the season-opening loss to Keenan. With the weather cooling down, Fink said he thinks Dillon’s newfound physicality could pay off in the playoffs.

“One of our biggest obstacles to repeat is with the colder weather we won’t be able to use the passing game as much, but at the same time our defense fires off the ball and is very physical, which is always a good thing in the cold” he said.

For all the problems the Big Red have encountered this season, including the overall lackluster start to the season and a defense that had trouble finding its groove, they still managed to sneak into the playoffs as the eight seed. Fittingly, their first matchup in the playoffs is No. 1 Sorin, the same team they’ve played in the last two championship games.